Electric registering apparatus



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. J. A. LANNERT.

ELEGTRIG REGISTERING APPARATUS.

No. 406.172. Patented July 2, 1.889.

Min/6.9.9 as.

N. PETERS. Phokn-Lilhoglapbnr, Wm; nnnnnnn c.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets--Sheet 2. J. A. LANNERT.

ELECTRIC REGISTERING APPARATUS.

No. 406,172. Patented July 2, 1889. v

= Allillll lllllllm UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN A. LANNERT, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

ELECTRIC REGISTERING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 406,172, dated July 2, 1889.

Application filed December 20, 1886. Serial No. 222,078. (No model.)

To a-ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN A. LANNERT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Ouyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Registering Apparatus; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in electric registering apparatus, and the object is to provide a cheap and reliable medium through which watchmen may report and have recorded at the central station the eX-' act time at which they visit the several substations or posts upon their beats, as well as a time detector or register for other-purposes in which a record of time and place, or either alone, is desirable.

Numerous apparatus having in view the same or similar objects are well known, but I am not aware that any exist in which the following distinguishing and novel features appear, viz: first, a dial having tens and units columns on concentric circles, which are also divided by radial lines into hours and fractions thereof; second, a drum with a series of needle-points or characters arranged spirally thereon and designed to puncture or impress the dial when the same is pressedagainst the point or character by suitable mechanism; thirdly, a drum with a series of needle points or characters and adapted to automatically return to its starting position when an impression on the dial has been made fourth, clock mechanism to actuate the drum with a magnet, to govern its movements step by step, to bring the desired point on the drum into position and to puncture or impress the dial; fifth, a revolving drum with spirally-arranged registering-points, a magnet to regulate the movements of the drum,

and another magnet or its equivalent to do the registering. These and other features of construction and combinations of parts, all as hereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the claims, are believed to be new in the art and constitute my invention.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved registeringinstrument, the dial being broken away except a fraction thereof above and to the right of the figure, and the outline thereof shown elsewhere in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the lower part of Fig. 1, with the clock-work omitted. Fig. 3 is an isometric view of the registering mechanism and magnets from below, the bottom plates being removed so as to show the parts in position. Fig. 4c is a vertical section through the registering-drum and the escapement connected therewith. Fig. 5 is a detail of the escapement, and Fig. 6 is a view of the anchor and anchor-rod. Fig. 7 is a side elevation in detail of the armature connected with the registering-magnet and its adjusting-arm. Fig. 8 is a modification of the escapement-movement. Fig. 9 is a view of a modification in which the magnet is supplemented by a train of mechanism, as hereinafter described.

Referring now to the mechanical structure of the apparatus, A represents the clock mechanism shown in front elevation in Fig. 1. This mechanism may be of any well-known kind, and on the stem which supports the hour hand is fixed a disk or dial plate a, which has sharp pins to a on opposite sides of the center projecting from its face and serving to support the dial.

The dial B consists of' a suitable sheet of paper, attached, as above indicated, to the dialplate, so as to be readily removed and replaced by another dial when it has been in position-say, twenty-four hours, the number of hours marked upon its face and corre sponding to the hours of the day, as indicated by the figures 3 and l on the fragment of dial here shown. Intermediate of the hour-lines are shorter lines graduated down to a twelfth of an hour, or five minutes. In addition to these lines I provide the dial with a series of concentric rings or circles 1), (shown here as twelve in number;) but a greater or less number may be employed. The spaces between the outer circles are marked by 10 and 20, respectively, and for the convenience of this description are called the tens-column, and the spaces between the remaining circles are magnet, for reasons that will appear, and.

magnet D the registering or recording" magnet. The actuating-magnet has an armature c on a pivot-post c and a spring c" to retract the armature when the circuit isbrokcn. The registering-magnet has an armature d on a pivot-post (Z and a head (1, with a vertical groove (7" on the inside to permit the pins or needles on the arm to perforate the dial and pass through into the said groove.

E is a drum loosely mounted on a shaft 0,

as shown in section, Fig. 4:, and provided witha hair-spring c, fastened at one end to a col.- lar on the shaft and at the other to the intc rior of the drum, so as to move the drum forward to its proper position in .relation to the escapement after it has been released by the registering-armature. Beneath the drum 011 the shaft (5 is a lantern-wheel f, geared back by the train of gearing clearly shown in Fig. 3, which may be wound up like a clock, and serve to turn the lai'itern-wheelhenee the shaft 6 and the escape wheel G, both of which are rigidly fixed on the said shaft. On the upper collar of the lantern-wheel is a lat:- erally-projeeting spur f, and on the lower end of the drum a dowiiwardly-projecting spur These spurs act upon each other and have the functionhereinafterdescribed. Extending spirally around the drum, from end to end thereof, is a series of needle points or pins 6, of uniform size throughout and at regular intervals apart. These pins correspond in number to the number of circular spaces on the dial, so that with an apparatus organ ized on the plan of the one here shown there are eleven pins, all told.

II is a vertical shaft or rod having long spindles 71, which extend through the frame in which it is supported and adapting the shaft to have the limited longitudinal play neces sary to perform its proper function in the organization. The extent of this play is here shown as fixed by the hub of the anchor I, secured on the shaft near its lower end, and by the sleeve if, secured thereon near its upper end. Intermediate of these points or parts is a lateral arm 7/, also fastened firmly L0 the shaft II, and working at ifsoppositc end within a lug or bracket c", on the end of armature c, and in which the arm has room to move according to the vertical, play of: the shaft on which it is mounted.

The anchor I has arms orpallets '1) 11, which work in connection with the teeth 9 of the escape-wheel in the usual way, except as follows: it will be observed that the arm of the anchor is formed with a lug or enlargement on its under side, which is adapted to engage a supplemental. tooth on the bottom of the escape-wheel G, while the opposite end of the anchor has an additional catch on its top, which engages the upwardly-projccting tooth g, which immediately precedes the supplemental lower tooth in the series of teeth on the escape-wheel. The need of these changes in the ordinary escape mechanism will, now appear.

L is a curved arm firmly attached to the armature of the register-ing magnet, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, and, extending inward over the escapeqvheel, connects with the lower arm of a bell-erank lover I, which is pivoted to the frame above and connects by the shorter arm with the sleeve or collar K on the shaft If. It should have been stated before that the shaft if is held normally in a raised position, as seen in Fig. l, by a spri ug 71 beariugagainst its lower end, and when in that position and the shaft is operated only by the actuating mechanism the action is similar tothat of an ordinary escapement. The diifm'ences in construction and operation are therefore more es peeially connected with the registering-armature and for the purpose of registering. Now, to more clearly understand these peculiarities and their office in the mechanism, let us suppose a dial. and all. the parts of the apparatus to be in position. to work. The dial, as is seen by dottedv lines in Fig. 1, is of suchv size as to extend down between the end of armature d and the drum E, but, except at the time of registration, is out of contact with both of said parts and has free movement bet-ween them. Suppose, further, that a watchman is, say, at post No. 27, and desires to report. It will. be understood thatthe circuit throughout the system normally is open, and is only closed at the time and in the manner effected. by the circuit-closers operated by the watchman at the different posts or stations on his beat. These circuit-closers have only such differences of -construction as are required to adapt them to the differences in their number, and as they form no immediate part of 'his invention need not he more fully described. No. 27 is selected because it runs both in the tens and the units columns heretofore described; hence the record must first be made in the proper tens-column and then in the unitscolumn. ASSUlllillg now that the circuitcloser at station 2 is roperly constructed, it will first close the circuit on the actuatii'ig-magnet, which will. attract its armature c,and through the escape mechanism permit the drum to move forward one point, and thus bring the second. point or needle at the bottom of the series into position to register. These needles correspoml to the order of the figures on the dial, and the first; figure on the dial being 10 the first needle on the drum is the ten-needle, the second. the twentyaieedle, the third the first in the IIO units-column, the fourth the second in the units-column, and so on up to the ninth and last figure, and to the last needle on the drum. Now, having the circuit closed on the actuating-magnet and its armature attracted, a single impulse or step has been given to the drum, and there it is held with its twenty point or needle opposite the head of the registeringarmature. The next action of the circuitcloser is to also close the circuit on the re-' cording-magnet, which in attracting its armature presses the dial against the twenty-needle, which is still held in position and makes a perforation in the twenty circular space thereon. This being done, the registering-armature d is first released by turning off the circuit, and afterward the circuit is turned off the other magnet, and by the opposite movement of the anchor resulting from the retraction of armature c the arm is advanced one more point, and now-has brought its first unit-needle into registering position; but as figure? is wanted and not figure 1 the drum is rotated by the actuating mechanism proceeding from magnet 0 until the proper needle in the series has been brought into registering position, when the circuit is again thrown into magnet D, the armature d is drawn inward, and the dial is punctured or marked in its seven space. Thus we obtain the desired record on the dial, and this being accomplished all the parts automatically assume the position from which they started, and the apparatus is ready to register another station.

The action of the subordinate features of the foregoing mechanism may now be noted.

It has been observed that the escape movement is of the common kind till modified by the new features herein described. All these are rendered necessary by the fact that when the anchor is lowered below the lower plane of the escape-wheel by the bell-crank lever and the arm connected with armature d, where it always goes when a registration is being made, there must be something to control the said wheel in taking the impressions in the ten and the twenty spaces on the dial, otherwise the wheel would fly around without control until again raised and placed under control of its anchor; hence the enlargement on the under side of the arm t' of the anchor which engages with the supplemental tooth at the bottom of the escape-wheel, and never permits more than a single revolution of said wheel when the parts are in their depressed relation without stopping it. In case registration is desired at the first or ten needle, the circuit is thrown at once into magnet D and the impression at 10 on the dial is accordingly made. In this case there has been no move ment of the actuating mechanism; but if the impression is to be taken from the twentyneedle an extra tooth like g on top of the escape-wheel, with a raised catch on the inner arm of the anchor, is required to hold the wheel and save the points'that have been made, as otherwise the escape-wheel, being released,

would fly around till its lower tooth came in contact with the arm 2', immediately upon the inward movement of the registering-armature, and the points gained would be lost. It would be well, also, to understand that when registration occurs at any of the unit-points the registration at that particular box is understood to be complete, and there being no top tooth in such case to engage the inner arm of the anchor the moment the registeringarmature strikes a unit-needle, the escapewheel flies around to the starting position regardless of the position of the armature c of the other magnet; and, further, that the hairspring in the drum carries the drum also forward to the starting position as soon as its needle has been released from the dial, the lugs on the bottom of the drum and on the upper collar of the lantern-wheel fixing the limit of this movement. Each movement of the armature 0, forward to its magnet or back, gives one step in the rotation of the drum, so that if the circuit is once made and broken the drum moves two points forward.

Characters-such as letters or figuresmay be placed on the drum-points, if desired. In case another ten is to be added to the tenscolumn-such as 30so as to increase the number of stations, the principle of construction herein described as more especially related to the registration of 20 may be extended, and so on to still higher numbers.

In some instances it might be desirable to substitute tape, suitably marked and mechanically moved, for the dial, and have the record of the machine made thereon.

In Fig. 8 I show a modification in which the shaft H is not vertically adjustable and the bell-crank mechanism and certain features of the escapement are omitted, and in lieu thereof shaft H is provided with two additional arms h and it near its lower end, and the arm L on the armature d is extended, so as to bear against these arms. This extension of the arm L has two fingers Z 1 so arranged with reference to the arms h and k that the finger Z strikes the arm 7L4 sufficiently in advance of the finger Z striking the arm 7L5 to rotate the shaft H far enough to release the escape wheel from engagement with the anchor when said anchor has locked on any one of the smaller teeth, and the finger Z bearing against the arm 7L5, serves to prevent the inner arm of the anchor from looking 011 a tooth. Thus the escape-wheel is set free as to all its small teeth, and may fly around un til its long tooth strikes the arm 1' of the anchor, as in the foregoing description, wherein the arm '5 engages with the supplemental lower tooth of the escape-wheel. The long tooth in the organization takes the place of said supplemental lower tooth.

In Fig. 91 show a modification which has mechanism that supplements the registeringmagnet. In long circuits the resistance of the line is found to be such that a battery of ten to fifteen or more cells is required to pro duce the proper amount of current to make the magnet do good work. Therefore, to keep the size of the battery at as low a point as possible and do the required work, I have devised the plan of supplementing the battery shown in said Fig. 9, in which I employ the striking mechanism of a clock along with the registeriJig-magnet herein described. In this case I use an armature d, which is connected with the rock-shaft q of the clock-work and which when turned sets the striking-train in motion. Then by substituting the grooved head of the armature d for the hammer on the strikinga'od and arranging it in the same relation as before to the drum, itgives the same result as when the registering-battery is used alone. The reason for this change in structure is obvious, as a comparatively weak current will sufiice to trip the catch which locks the striking mechanism and releases the same, but might be wholly inadequate to perform the functions of the armature in shorter circuits and as described in the other figures. In this case, however, the drum may be secured rigidly on the shaft, and as the train of mechanism employed to actuate the hammer releases the hammer with its registering-head more slowly than the spring in the other construction I provide a longer slot in the end of arm L than in the said construction, so that the anchor will not be released from the supplemental lower tooth until the registering head or hammer is almost fully retracted. This prevents the escapement and drum from changing their position before all the other parts of the mechanism are ready for such change.

The use of the word drum in the description and claims should be understood as being broad enough to cover a wheel having sufficient surface to carry the points, with or without characters, that are described as belonging to the drum E.

Having thus described my invention, whatI claim, and desire to secu re by Letters Patent, 1s

1. In an electric registering apparatus, a registering-surface having a separate column for each of the units, in combination with separate columns for each of the tons, and running in the direction that the registeringsurface is moved, substantially as set forth.

2. In an electric registering apparatus, a registering-surface having a separate column for each of the units and a separate column for each of the tens, in combination with a registering device to register from one to nine in units-column and from ten to ninetynine in both units and tens columns, substantially as set forth.

3. In an electric registering apparatus, a shaft carrying a marking device to register units in different planes, clock-work to turn the shaft, an escapement wheel connected with the shaft of the marking device, an anchor having arms to hold the escapcmentwheel, a register-ing-arni pivoted to swing against the marking device and make the impressions, and connections between the registering'arm and the marking device, and actuated by the arm to release the marking device and allow it to move to its original position, substantially as set forth.

at. In an electric registering apparatus, a shaft carrying a registering device formed in a single piece to register in different planes, clock-work to turn the shaft, an eseapementwheel connected with the clock-work and the shaft of the registering device, an anchor hav ing arms to hold the escapemcnt-wheel, and a single registering-arm pivoted to swing against the marking device and make the inr pressions in different planes, substantially as set forth.

JOHN A. LANN ERT. \Vitnesses:

II. T. FISHER,

-WM. M. MONROE. 

